Five Great San Antonio Parks that Don’t Rhyme with “Shmardberger”

Looking for more about great parks in San Antonio? Check out our updated guide!

The Best Parks in San Antonio

Hardberger:  it’s the crown jewel of the San Antonio park system.  So much to do!  Such natural beauty!  If San Antonio were a high school, Hardberger would be the Captain of the Cheerleading Team, Student Council President, and Homecoming Queen all rolled into one.  Well, you know what?  A lot of girls go to this high school.  Fun girls.  Interesting girls.  Girls who have a lot to offer, if you’d just get to know them a little better.

I’m a San Antonio parks enthusiast, and I’m excited to introduce you to five of my favorites.  Here they are, in random order.  [hr]

San Pedro Springs Park: What You Would Get by Crossing Barton Springs and Central Park (San Pedro at Ashby)

2084San Pedro Springs Park is one of the city’s best kept secrets.  I’m amazed by how many native San Antonians have no idea this treasure sits less than two miles north of downtown.

The park is named for the springs that emerge from a natural fault at the base of a limestone bluff.  The outflow from the springs feeds a massive pool that has served as a municipal swimming facility since 1922.

You’ve got to see the pool to believe it.  It’s lined with majestic (and, no, that’s not too strong a word) cypress trees.  The water is crystal clear and stretches as far as the eye can see.

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The pool has a zero-entry, so even non-swimmers can join the fun.

On our most recent visit (which was just me and my toddler), I didn’t plan on the little guy swimming.

Silly me.

For a boy who gets excited about the bathtub faucet, the rushing water was too much to resist.  Like a moth to a flame, he waded through the shallow water in his street clothes and had the time of his life getting drenched.

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Even if swimming is not on your agenda, San Pedro Springs Park is worth a visit.  Fun Facts:  King Philip V of Spain made a royal grant of the land for public use in 1729.  The tract was officially dedicated as a park in 1852.  It is the oldest park in the State of Texas and the second oldest in the United States. Only Boston Common is older.

The park has a nice-size playground for younger kids, which includes some pretty cool “please touch” animal sculptures.

For summertime rodeo fun, I suggest trying to sit on this bad boy for eight seconds, right around 3pm.

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Older kids can shred at the skateboard park…and roll their eyes at squares like me who use words like “shred.”

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A large gazebo overlooks the lawn and pool.  It is available for rental.  When my daughter is a little older, I might get a wild hair to host a Victorian-style tea party here for her and her friends.  Or I might just swing them through the Starbucks drive-through and call it a day.

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The Greek-revival style San Pedro Playhouse sits inside the park. The theater opened its doors on January 22, 1930, three months after the stock market crash of 1929. At that time in history, patrons arrived in both horse-drawn carriages and cars.  It is the oldest municipally-built theater in the United States, and its resident troupe is the city’s oldest arts organization.

McFarlin

The park also is home to the McFarlin Tennis Center, which boasts 22 lighted hard courts, a pro shop, lockers, and showers. The Center offers year-round lessons, camps, clinics, tournaments, and leagues. In 1981, the United States Tennis Association granted it an Outstanding Facility Award.

 

 

Here at Alamo City Moms Blog, we are passionate about community and our fabulous city. Area parks are great places to meet fellow San Antonians and to get excited about local history.

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Denman Estate Park: Like EPCOT, but Closer to the Medical Center (Fredericksburg Road at Callaghan)

The 21-acre Denman Estate Park is full of surprises, the most remarkable of which is a Korean pavilion similar to the Gwangju Democracy Bell in Gwangju, South Korea.Pavilion

The pavilion was a gift from the city of Gwangju, a sister city of San Antonio.  Its stated purpose is to facilitate business and cultural friendships between the two cities.  As a practical matter, it forms a tranquil focal point, inviting visitors to stroll the path around the park pond to reach it.

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The pavilion was built with old growth red pine timber that was harvested in Canada and milled in South Korea. Natural stone, granite, and traditional yellow clay roof tile shipped fromSign South Korea are incorporated into the structure.

Skilled craftsmen traveled from South Korea to construct the pavillion.  True to their traditional methods, they did not use any nails, and the only bolts are the ones securing the foundation.Gate

Sadly, visitors cannot touch or climb on the pavilion itself. An accessible wooden gate gives curious hands something to explore.

Path

 

Trees around the pond create welcome shade in summertime but are particularly beautiful in the fall.

 

 

Landscape

One nice feature of Denman Estate Park is its small size.  You can hit all the highlights in under an hour.

More relevant to my parenting philosophy: an adult can sit at one of the shaded picnic tables and have a sight-line to the entire pond area.  Your children can walk, bike, or ride scooters around the path on their own. They get a sense of independence and self-reliance even while you keep an eye on them from a distance.

LabyrinthThe pavilion is a showstopper, but Denman Estate Park is not without her quieter charms.  It has a labyrinth, which is guaranteed to buy you at least 45 seconds of “you time” while your children puzzle their way through it.

 

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The pond is home to fish, turtles, ducks, and cranes. 

 

Beijing Express

 

To extend your outing, stop at nearby Beijing Express (corner of Callaghan and Fredericksburg) for a glass of bubble tea.  You’ll develop the day’s broad East Asian theme and blow your kids’ minds with the tapioca “bubbles.”

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MacArthur Park: Best Playground (410 and Harry Wurzbach)

When I was growing up, a trip to MacArthur Park was a special treat.  It wasn’t the playground closest to our home, but it had2115 the best variety of play equipment. San Antonio natives might remember the mustard-yellow colored circular tower built out of rebar.  My low-grade acrophobia kicked in more than once on that tigre, requiring me to be rescued by whatever adult was serving as the day’s chaperone.  Good times.

Those of you who remember MacArthur Park from your own childhoods will be happy to see that some of “our” old play elements are still in use.

The giant metal slide is gone, as it the rickety merry-go-round.  They’ve been replaced with the best variety of playscapes in town…

…and a bunch of cool free-standing elements.

Unlike some parks, MacArthur Park has both toddler and big kid swings.  Even better, it has accessible swing seats (in two sizes) for visitors with physical limitations.

2177Now that I’m a mother, my favorite way to work MacArthur Park into our rotation is to go in the evening, with a picnic dinner. The park’s many picnic tables, pavilions, and close-by parking make this easy to do.

Insider Tip:  MacArthur is a county park, so the ordinance that bans alcohol in city parks does not apply.  What this means for you is, that picnic dinner can include a glass of wine.  You’re welcome.  Glass containers aren’t allowed, but box wine has come a long way since your sorority house Franzia.2163

 

 

With minimal planning, you have the makings of a great summer evening.  If my recent experience is any indication, the payoff is well worth the effort!

 

 

 

 

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Woodlawn Lake Park:  Puro San Antonio (West Woodlawn Avenue) Tobin Drive

To me, Woodlawn Lake Park is classic San Antonio.  It’s been a gathering place for more than 100 years, and it’s the site of the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration.  According to city historians, the 30-acre lake for which the park is named was the dream of real estate developers in the 1880s.  They wanted to create West End, a residential subdivision on what was then the city’s rural west side.  To attract residents, they dammed Alazan Creek to create “the finest artificial lake in the south.” Electric lights illuminated the lake, and visitors traveled by street car to dance in an outdoor pavilion and row in small boats.

With all its history, the park still has a lot to offer modern families:

A 1.3 mile paved trail circles the lake. It’s great for walking and biking and makes for an inexpensive family outing or date night.

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The park includes a public pool (with sweet water slides). In 2013, the regular season runs through August 18.  Open swim is Tuesday through Sunday, from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.  Admission is free. 

After our recent visit, we stopped right outside the park at La Michoacana Paleteria y Neveria for fresh watermelon and coconut ice cream made with real coconut.  The store is immaculate and very affordably priced.  It’s the perfect place to cap off a classic San Antonio day!1968

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Eisenhower Park: “I Like [to Hike at] Ike” (1604 and Northwest Military)

San Antonio has a number of parks that offer hiking trails.  Eisenhower has a few things going for it, though.  First, the park does not allow bikes. I dig mountain biking as much as the next girl, but if I’m taking my children hiking, it’s nice not to have to worry that they will be standing inside a blind curve when a biker comes careening down the hill.

Second, the park allows dogs, which I appreciate.  My 15-month old son gets to practice crowing, “dog…dog…big dog…dog” to every pooch we see.  And, I can bring my beloved beagle along to make up for the fact that since I had children, he was unseated from the top of our family totem pole.

Paved trails are great for strollers, people with mobility challenges, and small fries who aren't ready to tackle more challenging terrain.TowerThird, Eisenhower’s Cedar Flats trail gives hikers with small fries great bang for their buck.  It’s a fully-paved (read: stroller-friendly) trail that takes you 0.9 mile to the top of a hill.  At the summit, you’ll find a wooden observation deck–call it a Pricess Tower if you must–that gives you spectacular views of the city.  It’s a payoff destination for little hikers who aren’t yet sold on fresh air and excercise as their own rewards.

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Finally, in addition to the paved trails, Eisenhower has legit natural trails that are great for older kids and more intrepid hikers.  When I don’t have my shorties in tow, I take the 2.5 mile Hillview trail and add on the 0.3 mile Shady Creek trail and 0.5 mile Red Oak trail.  It’s a great outdoor workout that takes about an hour.

 

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Katy
Katy is a San Antonio native who spent seven years on the East Coast. She is back home now, married to her match.com sweetheart, rearing her children Claudia (5) and Thomas (3), and practicing tax law.

21 COMMENTS

  1. Just saw your blog and LOVED it. I would like to ask if you would post an invite on your blog to all your Moms that read your blog to attend “Mommypalooza”. This Event is my 2nd Annual Mother’s Day Event on Saturday, May 10th 2014 from 10am to 7pm located at Wonderland of the Americas Mall. This is a FREE Family Friendly Event that will cater to Moms with FREE Mini-Spa Treatments like chair massages and FREE mini-makeovers. We will also have fashion shows, entertainment in the form of an Elvis impersonator, Bedouin Dancers, Las Vegas Stiletto Dancers, plus more. In addition, we will have lots of entertainment for the kiddos too like Super Hero pics against green screen, FREE balloon animals. Hoping to see this invite on your blog.

    Thanks,
    Debra Falcon, Coordinator Mommypalooza
    Website: avoninwonderland.wix.com/mommypalooza
    FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/mommypaloozatx

  2. Thanks so much for this post! We just moved here from the Dallas area and have been most excited about the wonderful parks- now there are way more for us to visit! My little girl is going to go bonkers at some of these 🙂

    • Bienvenidos a San Antonio, Alisa! I’m glad the post introduced you to some new parks. I hope y’all have a great time checking them out. Thanks for reading!

  3. Katy! Thank you so much for this great post. I recently moved to SA from Austin. So great to hear about some of our hidden gems. One year old baby girl and I will be making the rounds. Thank you!

    • Melanie,

      Bienvenidos a San Antonio! I hope you and your sweet girl have a lot of fun trying out some of our local not-so-hotspots. Let us know which one you hit first and how your visit was. Thanks for reading!

  4. A BIG thank you Katy! San Pedro Park Springs was amazing! The water is not super cold and the depth is 2.5′ for half a football field! A big hit with the preschoolers! Equally as nice was the setting sun where the baby splashed around. Mommy likes that there are lifeguards for extra eyes 😉 I have pictures but I’m not sure how to upload!?

    • Allison, so glad you had fun and that the park lived up to the hype! I’m not sure if it’s possible to upload photos. You may be able to copy the file and paste it into the comments box. We’d love to see pictures of y’all emjoying your day!

  5. Everyone knows about Landa Park, so its awesome to hear about the hidden gems around San Antonio.

    Love the post :)Your research was amazing!!! This was a time saver!

  6. Awesome article! I can’t wait to check out a couple of these. Shmardberger is amazing, but we need a change sometimes. I appreciate all the pictures – thanks!

  7. Nice work Katy D. I had no idea we had such nice parks in SAT.

    Best line: Like EPCOT, but closer to the Medical Center.

  8. The grand mommies of San Antonio all thank you as well…what terrific information for days of play. I can’t wait to explore each of them with all 6 of our grand children!
    Thanks Katy,
    Honey

    • Honey, there’s nothing better than a grand-mommy day at the park! Take pictures and let us know about the fun outings you have with your six little ones!

  9. I’m so glad y’all liked the post. I hope you will visit these and other local parks. Write back and let us know where you went and how your visit was!

  10. Katy, thanks for all the “new” suggestions in parks…I just got an idea of doing a Park Run! Like a Pub Run but with kids and in parks! Not sure how long kids and/or moms would last, though, hehehe! But your post has definately made me want to step out of my comfort zone and go explore so many places in our great city!

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